Page Fence Giants
Encyclopedia
One of the top black baseball teams of the 1890s, the Page Fence Giants were based in Adrian
, Michigan
and named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. The team was sponsored by the company's founder, J. Wallace Page.
Formed in 1894, the team played its first game on April 9, 1895. Bud Fowler and Home Run Johnson
organized the team, which was managed by Gus Parsons. Fowler chose players who did not drink and aimed for a group with high moral character. Five of the twelve players were college graduates. Fowler played second base
while Johnson manned shortstop
. The team played in 112 towns that year against all levels of competition, going 118-36-2. They were 8-7 against clubs from the white Michigan State League
. They lost games by scores of 11-7 and 16-2 against the Cincinnati Reds
. The club lost Fowler and pitcher George Wilson
to the white Adrian-based team in the MSL during the season.
In 1896, Charlie Grant
replaced Fowler at second. The Page Fence Giants beat the Cuban X-Giants
in a 15-game series, 10 games to 5, to claim they were the top team in black baseball. Overall they went 80-19 through August 1. In 1897, they went 125-12 with 82 consecutive wins. The 1898 tour was the club's last, and the next year many of the players went to the new Columbia Giants
.
Sources: Riley 294, 330, 387, 432, 434, 609, 836, 872.
Fowler and Wilson left the team before the end of its first, 1895 season to play in the primarily white Michigan State League.(Riley 295, 873)
One of the top black baseball teams of the 1890s, the Page Fence Giants were based in Adrian
, Michigan
and named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. The team was sponsored by the company's founder, J. Wallace Page.
Formed in 1894, the team played its first game on April 9, 1895. Bud Fowler and Home Run Johnson
organized the team, which was managed by Gus Parsons. Fowler chose players who did not drink and aimed for a group with high moral character. Five of the twelve players were college graduates. Fowler played second base
while Johnson manned shortstop
. The team played in 112 towns that year against all levels of competition, going 118-36-2. They were 8-7 against clubs from the white Michigan State League
. They lost games by scores of 11-7 and 16-2 against the Cincinnati Reds
. The club lost Fowler and pitcher George Wilson
to the white Adrian-based team in the MSL during the season.
In 1896, Charlie Grant
replaced Fowler at second. The Page Fence Giants beat the Cuban X-Giants
in a 15-game series, 10 games to 5, to claim they were the top team in black baseball. Overall they went 80-19 through August 1. In 1897, they went 125-12 with 82 consecutive wins. The 1898 tour was the club's last, and the next year many of the players went to the new Columbia Giants
.
Sources: Riley 294, 330, 387, 432, 434, 609, 836, 872.
Fowler and Wilson left the team before the end of its first, 1895 season to play in the primarily white Michigan State League.(Riley 295, 873)
One of the top black baseball teams of the 1890s, the Page Fence Giants were based in Adrian
, Michigan
and named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. The team was sponsored by the company's founder, J. Wallace Page.
Formed in 1894, the team played its first game on April 9, 1895. Bud Fowler and Home Run Johnson
organized the team, which was managed by Gus Parsons. Fowler chose players who did not drink and aimed for a group with high moral character. Five of the twelve players were college graduates. Fowler played second base
while Johnson manned shortstop
. The team played in 112 towns that year against all levels of competition, going 118-36-2. They were 8-7 against clubs from the white Michigan State League
. They lost games by scores of 11-7 and 16-2 against the Cincinnati Reds
. The club lost Fowler and pitcher George Wilson
to the white Adrian-based team in the MSL during the season.
In 1896, Charlie Grant
replaced Fowler at second. The Page Fence Giants beat the Cuban X-Giants
in a 15-game series, 10 games to 5, to claim they were the top team in black baseball. Overall they went 80-19 through August 1. In 1897, they went 125-12 with 82 consecutive wins. The 1898 tour was the club's last, and the next year many of the players went to the new Columbia Giants
.
Sources: Riley 294, 330, 387, 432, 434, 609, 836, 872.
Fowler and Wilson left the team before the end of its first, 1895 season to play in the primarily white Michigan State League.(Riley 295, 873)
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. The team was sponsored by the company's founder, J. Wallace Page.
Formed in 1894, the team played its first game on April 9, 1895. Bud Fowler and Home Run Johnson
Home Run Johnson
Grant "Home Run" Johnson was an American shortstop in baseball's Negro Leagues. He played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era. Born in Findlay, Ohio, he died at age 88 in Buffalo, New York....
organized the team, which was managed by Gus Parsons. Fowler chose players who did not drink and aimed for a group with high moral character. Five of the twelve players were college graduates. Fowler played second base
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
while Johnson manned shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
. The team played in 112 towns that year against all levels of competition, going 118-36-2. They were 8-7 against clubs from the white Michigan State League
Michigan State League
Michigan State League was the name of six American professional baseball leagues. Five of them operated only one or two baseball seasons and the other four seasons...
. They lost games by scores of 11-7 and 16-2 against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The club lost Fowler and pitcher George Wilson
George Wilson (pitcher)
George H. Wilson was an African-American baseball pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907....
to the white Adrian-based team in the MSL during the season.
In 1896, Charlie Grant
Charlie Grant
Charles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...
replaced Fowler at second. The Page Fence Giants beat the Cuban X-Giants
Cuban X-Giants
The Cuban X-Giants were an African-American professional baseball team for about ten seasons around 1900. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants....
in a 15-game series, 10 games to 5, to claim they were the top team in black baseball. Overall they went 80-19 through August 1. In 1897, they went 125-12 with 82 consecutive wins. The 1898 tour was the club's last, and the next year many of the players went to the new Columbia Giants
Chicago Columbia Giants
The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro Leagues.- Founding :...
.
Notable players
- Bud Fowler — 2B and manager, 1895
- Charlie GrantCharlie GrantCharles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...
— 1896 - Billy Holland — pitcher, 1895–97
- Chappie JohnsonChappie JohnsonGeorge "Chappie" Johnson was an African-American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many of the best teams around 1900 and 1910 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and coach....
— LF, 1B, and catcher, 1896–98 - Grant Johnson — SS and captain, 1895–98
- John W. PattersonJohn W. PattersonJohn W. Patterson was an African-American baseball outfielder in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1893 to 1907....
— 1897-98 - Sol WhiteSol White* , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley * , by Sol White. Compiled and with an introduction by Jerry Malloy -External links:...
— 1895 - George WilsonGeorge Wilson (pitcher)George H. Wilson was an African-American baseball pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907....
— pitcher, 1895 and 1898
Sources: Riley 294, 330, 387, 432, 434, 609, 836, 872.
Fowler and Wilson left the team before the end of its first, 1895 season to play in the primarily white Michigan State League.(Riley 295, 873)
One of the top black baseball teams of the 1890s, the Page Fence Giants were based in Adrian
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. The team was sponsored by the company's founder, J. Wallace Page.
Formed in 1894, the team played its first game on April 9, 1895. Bud Fowler and Home Run Johnson
Home Run Johnson
Grant "Home Run" Johnson was an American shortstop in baseball's Negro Leagues. He played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era. Born in Findlay, Ohio, he died at age 88 in Buffalo, New York....
organized the team, which was managed by Gus Parsons. Fowler chose players who did not drink and aimed for a group with high moral character. Five of the twelve players were college graduates. Fowler played second base
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
while Johnson manned shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
. The team played in 112 towns that year against all levels of competition, going 118-36-2. They were 8-7 against clubs from the white Michigan State League
Michigan State League
Michigan State League was the name of six American professional baseball leagues. Five of them operated only one or two baseball seasons and the other four seasons...
. They lost games by scores of 11-7 and 16-2 against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The club lost Fowler and pitcher George Wilson
George Wilson (pitcher)
George H. Wilson was an African-American baseball pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907....
to the white Adrian-based team in the MSL during the season.
In 1896, Charlie Grant
Charlie Grant
Charles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...
replaced Fowler at second. The Page Fence Giants beat the Cuban X-Giants
Cuban X-Giants
The Cuban X-Giants were an African-American professional baseball team for about ten seasons around 1900. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants....
in a 15-game series, 10 games to 5, to claim they were the top team in black baseball. Overall they went 80-19 through August 1. In 1897, they went 125-12 with 82 consecutive wins. The 1898 tour was the club's last, and the next year many of the players went to the new Columbia Giants
Chicago Columbia Giants
The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro Leagues.- Founding :...
.
Notable players
- Bud Fowler — 2B and manager, 1895
- Charlie GrantCharlie GrantCharles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...
— 1896 - Billy Holland — pitcher, 1895–97
- Chappie JohnsonChappie JohnsonGeorge "Chappie" Johnson was an African-American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many of the best teams around 1900 and 1910 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and coach....
— LF, 1B, and catcher, 1896–98 - Grant Johnson — SS and captain, 1895–98
- John W. PattersonJohn W. PattersonJohn W. Patterson was an African-American baseball outfielder in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1893 to 1907....
— 1897-98 - Sol WhiteSol White* , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley * , by Sol White. Compiled and with an introduction by Jerry Malloy -External links:...
— 1895 - George WilsonGeorge Wilson (pitcher)George H. Wilson was an African-American baseball pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907....
— pitcher, 1895 and 1898
Sources: Riley 294, 330, 387, 432, 434, 609, 836, 872.
Fowler and Wilson left the team before the end of its first, 1895 season to play in the primarily white Michigan State League.(Riley 295, 873)
One of the top black baseball teams of the 1890s, the Page Fence Giants were based in Adrian
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company. The team was sponsored by the company's founder, J. Wallace Page.
Formed in 1894, the team played its first game on April 9, 1895. Bud Fowler and Home Run Johnson
Home Run Johnson
Grant "Home Run" Johnson was an American shortstop in baseball's Negro Leagues. He played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era. Born in Findlay, Ohio, he died at age 88 in Buffalo, New York....
organized the team, which was managed by Gus Parsons. Fowler chose players who did not drink and aimed for a group with high moral character. Five of the twelve players were college graduates. Fowler played second base
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
while Johnson manned shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
. The team played in 112 towns that year against all levels of competition, going 118-36-2. They were 8-7 against clubs from the white Michigan State League
Michigan State League
Michigan State League was the name of six American professional baseball leagues. Five of them operated only one or two baseball seasons and the other four seasons...
. They lost games by scores of 11-7 and 16-2 against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. The club lost Fowler and pitcher George Wilson
George Wilson (pitcher)
George H. Wilson was an African-American baseball pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907....
to the white Adrian-based team in the MSL during the season.
In 1896, Charlie Grant
Charlie Grant
Charles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...
replaced Fowler at second. The Page Fence Giants beat the Cuban X-Giants
Cuban X-Giants
The Cuban X-Giants were an African-American professional baseball team for about ten seasons around 1900. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants....
in a 15-game series, 10 games to 5, to claim they were the top team in black baseball. Overall they went 80-19 through August 1. In 1897, they went 125-12 with 82 consecutive wins. The 1898 tour was the club's last, and the next year many of the players went to the new Columbia Giants
Chicago Columbia Giants
The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro Leagues.- Founding :...
.
Notable players
- Bud Fowler — 2B and manager, 1895
- Charlie GrantCharlie GrantCharles Grant was an African American second baseman in negro league baseball. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line decades before Jackie Robinson when Major League Baseball manager John McGraw attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama".-Background:Grant was born in...
— 1896 - Billy Holland — pitcher, 1895–97
- Chappie JohnsonChappie JohnsonGeorge "Chappie" Johnson was an African-American baseball catcher and field manager in the Negro leagues. He played for many of the best teams around 1900 and 1910 and he crossed racial boundaries as a teacher and coach....
— LF, 1B, and catcher, 1896–98 - Grant Johnson — SS and captain, 1895–98
- John W. PattersonJohn W. PattersonJohn W. Patterson was an African-American baseball outfielder in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1893 to 1907....
— 1897-98 - Sol WhiteSol White* , Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley * , by Sol White. Compiled and with an introduction by Jerry Malloy -External links:...
— 1895 - George WilsonGeorge Wilson (pitcher)George H. Wilson was an African-American baseball pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played for major teams from 1895 to 1905 and pitched for Havana in the Cuban winter league of 1907....
— pitcher, 1895 and 1898
Sources: Riley 294, 330, 387, 432, 434, 609, 836, 872.
Fowler and Wilson left the team before the end of its first, 1895 season to play in the primarily white Michigan State League.(Riley 295, 873)